


A Game of Confessions (And Love)

by HereComesAComment



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Attempt at Humor, Confident Shuichi, Dates, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Flustered Kokichi, Getting Together, Humor, Kinda, Kokichi is trying his best, Love Across The Universe: Dangan Salmon Team, M/M, Romantic Fluff, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-09-23 09:53:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20338189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HereComesAComment/pseuds/HereComesAComment
Summary: “Saihara-chan,” Ouma called out, interrupting his thoughts before his brain could implode on itself. “It’s your turn now. If… If you still want to continue the game. If you want to hang out with someone else, that’s fine too,” he said, mouth pressed into a thin line and voice cautiously neutral, but Saihara could still detect the edges of anxiousness in it. That wouldn’t do.Saihara took a deep breath to calm his racing heart and carefully flipped through the pages, smoothing out the ones Ouma had crumpled. He could do this.He stopped flipping when he came to, “New Zealand.” He took a moment to compose himself and plan out his words before stuttering out, “I want to go there and see the Aurora Australis. And k-kiss you under the lights.”Saiou Week 2019Day 1-Disney /DateDay 2- Games/ CookingDay 5- Coffee vs Soda / Rainy day or Snow day





	A Game of Confessions (And Love)

**Author's Note:**

> Yessum, my first contribution to the fandom!  
Massive thanks to my betas Zetta, Smol and LittleLoaf! I wouldn't have the confidence to post this without you ❤️
> 
> Since I have exams coming up and figured I won't be able to write more than maybe two fics, I decided to just do one and try to fit in as many of the prompts as I can yrfyhrdebfd
> 
> (Another big thanks so Smol for helping me with the title <3 )

Saihara never thought he’d get this far with Ouma. Ouma was elusive and always went at his own pace, never willing to compromise. And those were only  _ some _ of the traits that annoyed and offended their classmates to no end. 

  
  


But it wasn’t anything Saihara couldn’t handle. If there was one trait of his that he could say he was proud of, it was his patience. Maybe he didn’t have the seemingly endless amount of patience Tojo, Hoshi, or Amami had, but it was  _ something _ . As much as Ouma’s lies and jokes tested that patience and left him with a headache, he couldn’t deny his curiosity towards the self-proclaimed ‘Supreme Leader of Evil’. Occasionally, he’ll even find himself thinking back on what the other boy said, trying to discern which of his words were true and which ones were lies. 

  
  


Needless to say, Kokichi Ouma had caught his interest. Everything about him from his talent to his organization to his words, thoughts and intentions were shrouded in a thick layer of mystery. And those mysteries were nothing if not enticing to the apprentice detective. After all, what’s the purpose of a detective if not to solve mysteries?

  
  


So he continued to pursue the boy; inviting him to spend some time together during free time. Of course, he tried to space them out to not overwhelm or annoy the boy too much... and for his own sanity as well; Atua knows he can’t handle consecutive days of headaches. 

  
  


So in between trying to unravel the mystery that is Kokichi Ouma, Saihara found great company in Akamatsu, Amami, Shinguji, and Keebo. He found them the easiest to get along with. On the other hand, some others like, Iruma, Yonaga, and Chabashira were harder to get along due to their…  _ unique _ personalities. 

  
  


But now Saihara had to cut down his time with some of the others due to Monokuma’s newest “Date” rule. The robotic bear wasn’t too happy when some of the students (namely Yumeno, Hoshi, and Harukawa) spent more time on their own than interacting with others, which Monokuma claims to be the main objective of this “heart throbbing school trip”. So around the fifth day, Monokuma implemented the dating system. 

  
  


In the date system, the monokubz will give the students an allowance of some monocoins every morning. They be exchanged for casino coins at the casino at nighttime. ( _ Why _ in the world would anyone give sixteen highschoolers access to a  _ casino _ , Saihara didn’t know. And he wasn’t going to even  _ touch _ the love hotel part.). With enough casino coins, they must buy a “Date Ticket” and choose one other person to spend half a day with; either in the morning or in the afternoon. Meaning, they needed two date tickets to last them one day. 

  
  


Was it an unnecessary and convoluted way to make them spend time with each other? Yes. Yes, it was. But nobody wanted the alternative. Saihara didn’t even want to  _ think _ about the alternative.

  
  


So far, Saihara has collected enough date tickets to last him for their remaining time in this “school”. But even so, he’s been collecting and hoarding casino coins for the past few days, some of the casino exclusive prizes caught his eye. He knew he  _ had _ to get his hands on the travel journal when he laid eyes on it (Though it was a shame to figure out how it was written by someone who has never travelled to any of these places before). And looking through the gift menu, he realized that each of these items were suited to each of the student’s individual taste.

  
  


And Saihara’s giving nature encouraged him to give his friends something from there.  Akamatsu really loved the High End Headphones, Kiibo thanked him for the White Robot Mustache, Amami really liked the Silver Earring and took him out on a “date” as thanks, Yumeno even spared the energy to smile at him when he gave her the Illusion Rod. 

  
  


He had a decent idea of which casino item was for Ouma, so he bought it as soon as he had enough coins. But despite his confidence when buying the gift, his anxiousness reared up its annoying head at the thought of giving it to Ouma. 

  
  


_ What if he didn’t like it? What if my deductions were wrong and this isn’t his item? What if he hated it? What if I accidentally offend him with gift? What if he stops being my friend?  _ ** _Are_ ** _ we even friends? I think of him as a friend, but does he consider me a friend? Ouma-kun said I was his “favourite”, but that’s no guarantee that he considers me a friend. What if he thought I was annoying and clingy? What if he hates spending time with me and is just doing it out of pity? What if whatif  _ ** _whatifwhatif-_ **

  
  


**No.**

  
  


Saihara clutched the item tighter in his hands and breathed deeply through his nose, trying to get rid of the intrusive thoughts. 

  
  


That wouldn’t do. He can’t let his anxiety get the best of him. If Ouma really didn’t want to spend time with him, he’d say it right to Saihara’s face, completely unabashed. Kokichi Ouma is someone who isn’t afraid to lay the cold, harsh truth on someone. Another trait that made him largely disliked among their classmates, but only made Saihara further gravitate towards him.

  
  


Besides, he couldn’t waste his time on worrying about the worst possible scenarios like this. He only had a few minutes until Monokuma did his rounds to check for any “singles” to punish. He needed to find Ouma soon or els-

  
  


“Saihara-chan!”

  
  


_ Speak of the devil and he shall appear. _

  
  


Saihara turned to face the owner of the voice and was surprised by the sight in front of him. 

  
  


The Ultimate Supreme Leader ran towards him, dressed completely different from his usual attire. He was wearing a white shirt with frilly cuffs, a short purple skirt with a playing card pattern on them and thigh high socks. Something about the getup looked very familiar, but before Saihara could put his finger on it, Ouma threw himself into Saihara’s arms. 

  
  


Saihara stumbled a bit to catch him, careful not to drop the present. And blinked once, twice in surprise when he noticed how light the other teen was.

  
  


_ Huh. _

  
  


Saihara gingerly set him down. He felt like he was starting to get used to Ouma’s odd actions. The sudden physical affections didn’t surprise him as much as it used to in the beginning. He started, “O-ouma-kun, what are yo-” 

  
  


“Saihara-chan, go on a date with me!” Ouma interrupted him with a cheerful demeanor, waving a date ticket in front of him. 

  
  


“W-what?” Saihara stuttered a bit in surprise. He never expected  _ Ouma _ of all people to ask him to hang out together. But he couldn’t deny that he was delighted by how Ouma invited him first. 

  
  


“I saaaaid,” Ouma drawled out with a huff, “Go on a date with me! Right now! Before I activate the bombs I set up around campus and blow us all to bits!”

  
  


Saihara stared at him impassively. “That’s a lie.”

  
  


Ouma nodded. “Yep! You caught me! I only put a bomb on you! Wow, Saihara-chan is so smart!” he exclaimed, eyes sparkling. “By the way, what’s in your hand? Is that for me? Hey, hey! Is that mine?” he asked, bouncing on his feet and staring at the box in Saihara’s hands, looking exactly like a child excited to open their presents on Christmas. 

  
  


Saihara clutched the box tighter. This was the first present he went through the effort of boxing and wrapping. This felt… special somehow. He wanted to see Ouma’s face light up with excitement when he opens the box and sees what it is. He wanted to catch Ouma off guard and see the genuine surprise and joy on his face when he figures out what it is. But looking at it now… he felt a little silly about it. 

  
  


He couldn’t keep the blush of embarrassment off his face when he answered, “Y-yes, it’s for you.”

  
  


Ouma looked surprised for a moment before his expression lit up even further. “My Saihara-chan is so caring! Preparing a present for little ol’ me? It’s even wrapped and everything! I feel soooo special,” Ouma exaggerated his feelings of gratitude in typical Ouma fashion… Or at least, that’s what Saihara hoped it was. Despite the amount of time they’ve spent together, Saihara still had trouble with telling apart Ouma’s truths and his lies. 

  
  


“Buuut,” Ouma continued. “I won’t take it!” 

  
  


“H-huh? Why?” Saihara asked, dumbfounded. He didn’t think Ouma would actually reject his gift before even seeing what it was. 

  
  


“Because you’re supposed to leave the gift giving for last!” Ouma began. “After we’ve had a fun day of playing together and pranking people and we’re about to part ways for the night,  _ then _ you’re supposed to give me a gift. So, nope! I will not be accepting your gift until the end of the date!” he elaborated. “Which means you’ll have to keep it safe until then, okay?”

  
  


Saihara‘s shoulders relaxed. He didn’t realize how worried he’d gotten over Ouma rejecting his gift. “O-oh. Is that so?” 

  
  


“Yep, yep! Silly Saihara-chan, doesn’t even know that much.” Ouma giggled.

  
  


“Alright, I can definitely hold onto it for you,” he offered.

  
  


“Really, really? You would?” Ouma asked, as if he didn’t reject the present five seconds ago. “Saihara-chan, you’re the best! This is why you’re my favourite,” he claimed. He then turned around and marched towards the school building. “Come, my beloved! To the dining hall we go!” he called back to Saihara.

  
  


Saihara snorted and followed after him. “I’m a little surprised that you came to ask me first, though,” he confessed, when he caught up to the other teen.

  
  


“Wait, '’first’?!” Ouma gasped, looking completely scandalized. “Are you saying my Saiahara-chan has people lining up to go on dates with him? Is my beloved actually a player?!” 

  
  


“N-no! You’ve got that wrong!” Saihara objected, blushing. Ouma never held back at any chance to embarrass him, did he? “I only meant that I didn’t think you’d invite  _ me _ before I could invite  _ you _ ,” he clarified.

  
  


Immediately, Ouma’s expression dropped and he regarded Saihara with a blank look. 

  
  


Saihara patiently waited for Ouma to react. 

  
  


In the last few days, Saihara learned that whenever the other boy’s expression went blank and neutral, he was either expressing his genuine thoughts or trying to process some information. As he stayed quiet and didn’t say anything, Saihara assumed it was the latter. 

  
  


Suddenly, Ouma’s face broke into a large grin. “Wow, I can’t believe Saihara-chan wanted to hang out with me again! You sure you’re not tired of me yet?” Ouma asked seriously, with no hint of joking or teasing in his voice. But before he could even react, Ouma continued his rambling. “But that’s impossible, of course! Who’d ever get bored of the amazing Supreme Leader of Evil?! I’m just too adorable to pass up on, ya know? I have people all over the world falling at my feet, begging to spend a precious second with me. You should be glad I’m willing to spend my precious time with you, Saihara-chan!” he finished with a dramatic twirl, skirt billowing with the movement. 

  
  


“Is that so?” Saihara asked, deciding to humor him.

  
  


“Of course! I’m a very sought after person, you know? I’m wanted by everyone! The general public, the politicians, the police, the yakuza, everyone! But too bad for them, I only want to spend my time with my precious Saihara-chan! That’s why you should consider yourself very,  _ very _ lucky,” he explained.

  
  


“I do,” Saihara answered without hesitation. “I’m very glad that Ouma-kun always agrees to spend time with me. I’m very happy to have you as my friend.”

  
  


Ouma tripped on his next step.

  
  


“Ouma-kun?” Saihara looked back to check on Ouma, but Ouma was already back on his feet and speed-walking towards their destination. 

  
  


Saihara hurries after him. “Ouma-kun, slow dow-”

  
  


“No can do, Saihara-chan! We have places to be, food to eat, games to play! So, hurry up and get your lazy butt moving!” Ouma asserted, not looking back at him.

  
  


Saihara sighed and quietly followed him into the dining hall. Ouma immediately skipped towards the kitchen.

  
  


“Saihara-chan, what type of tea do you want? I’m in a generous mood today, so I’ll prepare the tea and snacks!” Ouma announced. “Saihara-chan is so lucky. He caught me in a  _ really _ good mood today! Or maybe I’m in a good mood  _ because _ I’m with Saihara-chan today?” he mused, before gasping. “Or maybe Saihara-chan decided to hang out with me today because he _ knew _ I was in a good mood? Saihara-chan, are you taking advantage of me?! Waaahh, I didn’t know you could be so cruel,” Ouma bawled, activating the fake tears. There has  _ got _ to be some sort of trick to activating your tear glands at will like that. 

  
  


“You’re the one who invited me though,” Saihara pointed out, taking a seat at the dining table. “And I’ll have green tea, if that’s okay.”

  
  


Ouma immediately stopped crying and grinned at him. “Okaaay,” he singsonged. “One bitter leaf water for my beloved and one jasmine tea for the amazing supreme leader of evil, coming right up!”

  
  


Saihara snorted as Ouma cheerfully started preparing their drinks, humming some random tune as he did so. Saihara could see Ouma darting around the kitchen from his seat, skirt flowing with the movement. 

  
  


Saihara’s eyes trailed after the motions. He looked really good in a skirt.

He paused, blushing when he realized where his train of thought had gone. He breathed in deeply through his nose and closed his eyes. The loudest sounds in the room were the banging of pots and pans from where Ouma was flitting across the kitchen, and the quiet humming from Ouma himself.

  
  


He focused on the humming and savored the moment. 

  
  


Spending time with Ouma was always so unpredictable. Some days he’ll make Saihara run all over the campus for one of his games, completely wearing him out; other times he’ll want to sit down and read a book or watch a movie with Saihara, which somehow always ends up with one of them falling asleep on the other. Saihara suspects Ouma always suggested the relaxing activities when one of them was tired, and the thought that Ouma pays that much attention to him made Saihara feel warm all over.

  
  


Only moments after, Ouma came back with a tray in hand. “Hear yee, hear yee! For the great Supreme Leader of evil has returned from his treacherous journey bearing a marvelous bounty for his beloved!” he announced.

  
  


Saihara couldn’t stop the laugh that tore through his throat at Ouma’s ridiculousness, even as he felt his face heat up from the over the top affection he was being subjected to. Ouma grinned and set down the tray in front of him. He poured tea from the kettle into the two teacups and pushed one towards Saihara, and then sat down on the opposite side of him so that they were facing each other.

  
  


Saihara stared at the cup in front of him. He’s pretty sure he’s not tired enough to hallucinate right now. So does that mean Ouma lied again? 

  
  


Saihara turned his attention to the boy in front of him, who was innocently sipping his tea like nothing was wrong with the world, or Saihara’s tea. Catching his gaze, Ouma took another sip of his tea and asked, “What’s wrong, Saihara-chan? Is the tea too hot for you?” He fluttered his eyelashes and stared at Saihara with his big, round eyes. He looked like the perfect picture of innocence.

  
  


“Ouma-kun,” Saihara started. “Didn’t you say you were going to make two types of tea?”

  
  


“Yep, yep! That I did, Saihara-chan. Wow, you have an excellent memory!”

  
  


“And yet you poured us tea from the same kettle?” he inquired.

  
  


“Ooooh, exceptional observational skills as well, Mr. Detective!”

  
  


“Then… did you lie about steeping two types of tea?”

  
  


“Of course not, my beloved! Do you think I would ever lie to you?” 

  
  


“Yes.” Saihara didn’t even hesitate when answering.

  
  


“You’re right! I really love lying to you. There’s no way I would stop so soon!” Ouma snickered.

  
  


“So I’m guessing you only made one pot of tea?” he prompted. 

  
  


“Bingo! You’re right, I only made jasmine tea for myself!” Ouma admitted with a bright smile.

  
  


Saihara sighed and accepted his fate, taking his first sip of the not-green tea. He blinked once, then twice in surprise as the slightly bitter taste washed over his taste buds. 

  
  


“Ouma-kun, this is green tea,” Saihara stated.

  
  


“Right again! Wow, Saihara-chan, you’re on fire today!” Ouma complimented. 

  
  


“Yeah, I guess so,” Saihara conceded for lack of a better response. They sipped their tea in silence for a while before Saihara spoke up again, “Hey, I was wondering about the outfit change...?” He trailed off, not sure how to phrase his question.

  
  


“Hmm? Oh! You mean my totally adorable outfit for the day? It’s my date outfit, silly! I mean it’s Saihara-chan who asked me out on a date, and I want to look pretty for my beloved, you know?” Ouma answered, lowering his gaze and volume, fidgeting with his skirt and avoiding eye contact, putting on an almost believable shy act in front of Saihara.

  
  


Despite the obvious lie, Saihara could feel his face heating up. “B-but that’s a lie, isn’t it?” his accusation came out more as a question than as a statement.

  
  


Ouma stayed unmoving and silent for a few seconds before giggling and agreeing with him. “ Correctomundo! I got bored of wearing the same uniform everyday, so I got Shirogane-chan to make a new outfit for me!” he said.

  
  


Saihara frowned. “How did she get the materials though? Only the dining hall, kitchen, warehouse and the school store from this building is open for us. I don't remember any of those places having fabrics to make clothes with,” he pointed out.

  
  


“That’s because I got all the clothes from the dorms,” Ouma revealed. “Take a closer look, Saihara-chan. Can you tell where these clothes are from?” 

  
  


Saihara took a moment to look over Ouma again, who continued sipping his tea with a peaceful expression. The skirt he could identify the most easily from the dark purple colouring. And upon closer inspection, he noticed the musical notes pattern near the top and bottom ends of the skirt. It seems as if the playing card pattern was just a piece of fabric that was sewn on top, hiding most of the musical notes. He then moved onto the shirt and noted the frilly cuffs and black collar.

  
  


“The skirt is from Akamatsu-san and the shirt is from... Tojo-san.” he guessed.

  
  


Ouma nodded. “I broke into Tojo-chan and Akamatsu-chan’s rooms at and borrowed clothes from them. They were so nice to lend them to me, don’t you think?”

  
  


“You did  _ what?! _ ”

  
  


“And then I had Shirogane-chan tailor the clothes to my size and  _ voila! _ ” he presented his new outfit with a flourish, looking very satisfied with himself.

  
  


“Ouma-kun,” Saihara sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “How did you even manage to get into their dorm rooms?”

  
  


“I picked the locks, of course!” was the cheery answer.

  
  


“Ouma-kun, you do realize how the amount of trouble you’ll be in when Akamatsu-san and Tojo-san finds out what you did?”

  
  


“That’s  _ if _ they can catch me first,” Ouma snickered. “But why are we talking about those boring people, Saihara-chan? Let’s do something fun! Oh, I know! Let’s play a game!” Ouma’s eyes sparkled as he stared expectantly at Saihara. 

  
  


Saihara dropped that line of questioning, albeit with reluctance. “Alright, what did you have in mind?”

  
  


Ouma promptly jumped out of his seat and ran into the kitchen and coming back with a notebook in his hands. This time, he pulled out the chair next to Saihara and sat down. He moved Saihara’s cup out of the way and cleared up the space in front of them, dropping the notebook on the table.

  
  


_ I wasn’t done drinking that. _

  
  


“Ta-da!” Ouma presented. “I bought this for you, Saihara-chan!” Ouma was sitting back in his chair, smiling at him. His time spent with Ouma was apparent now, as he could tell that Ouma's smile was somewhat strained.

  
  


Saihara turned his attention back to his gift. He could now recognize the notebook as the Travel Journal that’s available at the casino; the one Saihara  _ had _ to get his hands on when he saw it; the first thing Saihara bought for himself.

  
  


“I thought you might like it,” Ouma offered. “You mentioned liking it once.”

  
  


Saihara’s heart soared. He had mentioned it in passing to Kaede once at breakfast. He didn’t think Ouma was paying attention, much less  _ remember _ it. 

  
  


“Well?” Ouma prompted after a while when Saihara didn’t say anything.

  
  


“Thank you, Ouma-kun. I love it,” Saihara whispered, marvelling at the gift. He didn’t care that he had an exact copy of the thing already. The fact that Ouma spent his time and effort to get this for him made his heart flutter in his chest.

  
  


Ouma did his distinctive little snicker. “Of course you do! I don’t usually give presents to just anyone, you know? But Saihara-chan is special, so he gets a gift from me! Make sure to cherish it with your life, okay? Just like how I cherish all of my gifts from you!” he chirped.

  
  


Saihara’s face flushed. He didn’t understand how Ouma could say such embarrassing things so easily. Was he even aware of some of the things he says? If it were anybody else, Saihara would’ve thought they were flirting. But Ouma doesn’t seem like the type to get close enough to form a crush on someone. And besides, it wasn’t possible to develop feelings for someone in such a short time… right?

  
  


“I’ll… I’ll cherish it. Thank you,” Saihara stammered out as he carefully flips through the pages. Ouma scooted his chair closer to Saihara, inspecting the journal as well. Maybe Saihara imagined it, but Ouma looked a little more relaxed now. 

  
  


Ouma made a contemplative humming noise. “So this is the kind of things Saihara-chan likes. Aww, it’s so _ boring. Just like Saihara-chan,” he complained. _

__

  
  


__

“And someone as boring as me is still your favourite?” Saihara halfheartedly asked, seeing right through the obvious lie.

__

  
  


__

“I know, right?! If someone as boring as you ended up being my favourite, can you even imagine how boring the others must be?” Ouma wailed like it was the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history. When Saihara didn’t react beyond giving him a deadpan look, he stopped. “Of course that’s a big, fat lie!” he giggled before his expression turned more serious. “Saihara-chan is definitely not boring. I don’t think I could ever get bored of Saihara-chan,” he confessed. His voice and expression the sincerest Saihara had ever seen, and it stunned him.

__

  
  


__

“Ouma-kun...” Saihara struggled to come up with the words to express his gratitude. For the words and the gift. Saihara knew those words held great significance to Ouma. He still didn’t know what it meant to the other boy, but he knew ‘not boring’ wasn’t a term Ouma threw around often.

__

  
  


__

Ouma didn’t wait for him to finish and turned back to the journal. “Okaaaay, let’s start the game, Saihara-chan!” he said, pointing to a part of the page. “We’ll go through the pages of this journal and say which places we want to go to and why. We’ll take turns, okay? ”

__

  
  


__

Saihara nodded. “Sounds simple enough.”

__

  
  


__

“Okay! I’ll go first,” Ouma said. He hummed lowly while flipping through the pages. Saihara recognized it as the same tune he was humming when preparing the tea.

__

  
  


__

He stopped flipping and pointed to a page with an  _ aha! _ and showed it to Saihara. “I want to go to Russia so that I can conquer it one day. Not that even a country of this size can satisfy the Supreme Leader, but it’s a start!” He pushed the book towards Saihara.

__

  
  


__

Saihara flipped through the pages with an amused chuckle. “I thought all of Japan was already under your control?”

__

  
  


__

“It is!” Ouma claimed. “But as the Supreme Leader of Evil, I need to start conquering other countries already! And what better to start with than the largest country in the world?!”

__

  
  


__

“Ah, I see. “Go big or go home”, yes?” Saihara agreed, nodding sagely.

__

  
  


__

“That’s right, that’s right! See, you totally understand me, Saihara-chan!” Ouma chirped. “It’s your turn again! Go on, pick and choose!”

__

  
  


__

“Alright, Canada. I want to go there to visit the Library and Archives of Canada. It’s the fourth largest library in the world,” Saihara informed.

__

  
  


__

Ouma stared incredulously at him for a moment before laughing like Saihara just told him a joke. “Wow, why am I not surprised that my Saihara-chan is such a  _ nerd _ ?” he teased Saihara.

__

  
  


__

Saihara’s face reddened. “Oh, shut up. I just like reading, okay?”

__

  
  


__

Kokichi continued giggling. “Okaaay, Saihara-chan is a cute nerd who likes reading. Got it!” Ouma taunted, relenting with a little salute.

__

  
  


__

And their game continued for a while like that, with plenty of laughter, teasing (from Ouma) and blushing (from Saihara).

__

  
  


__

India. “Indian food, best food!” Ouma claimed, which didn’t surprise Saihara considering the boy’s love of sweet and spicy food. 

__

  
  


__

China. “I want to see the Great Wall of China one day.” 

__

  
  


__

USA. “My aim in life is to steal the Statue of Liberty!”

__

  
  


__

Philippines. “I heard they have one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.”

__

  
  


__

Egypt. “I want to topple over one of the pyramids!”

__

  
  


__

Turkey. “They have some of the most beautiful architecture.”

__

  
  


__

Their game continued until Ouma stopped at, “Italy.” He was quiet for a moment before continuing, “This is where I want... to go on a date with Saihara-chan. After we get out of here.” 

__

  
  


__

Saihara’s heart stopped beating for a second before starting up at twice the speed.

__

  
  


__

He heard that correctly, right? He was pretty sure he was awake and lucid enough to rule this out as a dream or auditory hallucination. Maybe a joke or prank?

__

  
  


__

Saihara directed his gaze back towards Ouma. He was still staring at the page like it’s the most interesting thing in the world, but his cheeks were rosy and he was holding the journal with a little too much force (Saihara really hoped the pages don’t get crumpled. This was a gift from Ouma, he didn’t want it to get damaged in any way). Ouma was a great actor, but this— Saihara doesn’t think he could pull off an act quite this real. 

__

  
  


__

What Ouma said would imply that he liked Saihara. In a romantic sense. But… there was no way that was possible, right? 

__

  
  


__

Saihara was boring and plain (something Ouma never hesitated to point out), someone who can easily blend into the crowd without even trying. While Ouma was fun, energetic and charismatic; he can turn every head in the room with his big personality. 

__

  
  


__

And ever since being stuck in this place, he always complained about everyone being “so boring”. Considering all of that, wouldn’t he want to be with someone more interesting than Saihara? Sure, he can be playfully flirty sometimes, but were there any signs that Ouma was genuinely flirting with him, and not just teasing?

__

  
  


__

_ “Saihara-chan, go on a date with me!”  _

__

__

_ “I only want to spend my time with my precious Saihara-chan!” _

__

__

_ “Hmm? Oh! You mean my totally adorable outfit for the day? It’s my date outfit, silly! I mean it’s Saihara-chan who asked me out on a date, and I want to look pretty for my beloved, you know?”  _

__

__

_ “I thought you might like it,” Ouma offered. “You mentioned liking it once.” _

__

__

_ “I don’t usually give presents to just about anyone, you know? But Saihara-chan is special, so he gets a gift from me! I cherish all of my gifts from you, Saihara-chan!” _

__

__

_ “Saihara-chan, you’re the best! This is why you’re my favourite!” _

__

__

_ “Saihara-chan is a cute nerd who just likes reading.” _

__

  
  


__

Had Ouma  _ actually _ been flirting with him? Not just teasing? When did he start? What changed? How long has it been going on? How long has Saihara remained oblivious?

__

  
  


__

And what about him? Did he even  _ like _ Ouma that way?

__

  
  


__

Their “class” had a lot of interesting characters, but he couldn’t deny being the most curious about Ouma. Ouma had managed to catch and hold his interest due to his interesting and confusing personality. The more he spent time with Ouma, the more curious and invested he became in Ouma as a person. 

__

  
  


__

Being asked on a date by Ouma made him so happy. He certainly didn’t have that strong a reaction whenever Akamatsu, Amami or Kiibo asked him. And the thought of Ouma dressing up differently for their date made him very happy. (When did he start referring to them hanging out as “dates”?). Being called Ouma “favourite” made him feel special and giddy with happiness.

__

  
  


__

_ It wasn’t possible to develop feelings for someone in such a short time… right? _

__

Maybe he needed to revise his original verdict.

__

  
  


__

“Saihara-chan,” Ouma called out, interrupting his thoughts before his brain could implode on itself. “It’s your turn now. If… If you still want to continue the game. If you want to hang out with someone else, that’s fine too,” he said, mouth pressed into a thin line and voice cautiously neutral, but Saihara could still detect the edges of anxiousness in it. That wouldn’t do.

__

  
  


__

Saihara took a deep breath to calm his racing heart and carefully flipped through the pages, smoothing out the ones Ouma had crumpled. He could do this.

__

  
  


__

He stopped flipping when he came to, “New Zealand.” He took a moment to compose himself and plan out his words before stuttering out, “I want to go there and see the Aurora Australis. And k-kiss you under the lights.” 

__

  
  


__

Saihara had no doubt his face was even brighter than Ouma’s now. But he had to do it. He had to take his chance when Ouma was practically handing it to him on a silver platter. 

__

  
  


__

“Th-they also have penguins,” Saihara belatedly added, giving Ouma an escape if the confession was too much for him.

__

  
  


__

A glance at Ouma took his breath away. 

__

  
  


__

The red on Ouma’s face had darkened and spread. Saihara wondered if the flush goes on past his neck and he was tempted to remove the scarf to see, to  _ know _ . But it wasn’t just the beautiful red that made Saihara breathless, it was his expression. He was staring at Saihara with wide eyes, brows furrowed, lips twitching like it doesn’t quite know which expression to make. 

__

  
  


__

_ Adorable. _

__

  
  


__

Saihara didn’t stop the smile or the flush that crept up his face at seeing Ouma struggle to process information. Ouma took a sharp intake of breath before glaring at him. He kept opening and closing his mouth, trying to form words before giving up and slumping onto the table, burying his face in his arms. After a while, he let out a pitiful (cute) whine. 

__

  
  


__

Saihara watched, thoroughly amused. The tips of Ouma’s ears were still red and it looked like he wanted to melt into the table from embarrassment. He decided to take pity on the other boy and change the topic. “Hey, Ouma-kun, Want to play another game?” 

__

  
  


__

Ouma didn’t move and whined again, which Saihara took as an affirmation and said, “Have you ever played ‘This or That’? You’ll be given two scenarios in this game and you have to pick the one you like the best.”

__

  
  


__

Ouma shifted enough to look up at him. “What are you even asking, Saihara-chan? I  _ invented _ the game. Of course, I know how to play it,” he muttered lowly, face still adorably red and pouting.

__

  
  


__

“Alright then, I’ll start.” Saihara thought of something fun and easy to ask. “How about, tea or Panta? I know they’re both your favourite, but which one do you like more?”

__

  
  


__

“Panta, obviously!” Ouma immediately perked up. “Carbonated drinks fizz so deliciously in your mouth, it’s the best. Tea, as amazing as it is, can’t compare to the greatness that is grape Panta!” 

__

  
  


__

Saihara hummed in response and Ouma sat up straighter. “Oh, I guess it’s my turn to ask a question now, huh? Saihara-chan, rainy day or snowy day?” Ouma asked, all traces of previous embarrassment gone. Looks like his plan worked and Ouma was almost back to his regular persona. 

__

  
  


__

“Rainy day,” he answered. “There’s something cathartic about reading a good book while sitting by a window on a rainy day.”

__

  
  


__

“Nerd.”

__

  
  


__

“Oh shush. What about you? Rainy or sunny?”

__

  
  


__

“Neither! I like winter the most because you can play in the snow and attack unsuspecting victims with snowballs!”

__

  
  


__

“I asked rainy or sunny, snowy day wasn’t an option. This isn’t how you’re supposed to play the game, Ouma-kun.”

__

  
  


__

“Saihara-chan, did you not hear me? I invented the game! So I can make and break the rules all I want.”

__

  
  


__

“...I don’t think that’s how you’re supposed to play games.”

__

  
  


__

“Boo! What’s the fun in playing a game if you’re not breaking a few rules?”

__

  
  


__

“Games are fun  _ because _ they have set rules, Ouma-kun.”

__

  
  


__

“Of course  _ you’ll _ think that, Saihara-chan, you nerd.”

__

  
  


__

“What is  _ that _ supposed to mean?”

__

  
  


__

“Nothing! My next question: Between the Home Planet and High-end Headphone, which one do you like more?”

__

  
  


__

Saihara took the time to consider before answering, “I think they’re both pretty great but if I had to choose, probably the High-end Headphones.”

__

  
  


__

“Good, because I bought both of those items for you.”

__

  
  


__

“Wait, what?”

__

  
  


__

“But! I’m not giving them to you all on one date. Nu-uh!”

__

  
  


__

“Y-you really didn’t have to-”

__

  
  


__

“Nope, too late! I bought them already. No take-backsies!” Ouma said with a pout.

__

  
  


__

The corners of Saihara's mouth turned upwards. “If you say so.”

__

  
  


__

Ouma nodded like Saihara just made the correct decision. “Good! Your turn again.”

__

  
  


__

Saihara decided to take advantage of the easy atmosphere and asked, “Will you be my boyfriend?” Saihara heard Ouma’s breath hitching but continued onwards. “Or would you rather stay as friends for now and see where things go?”

__

  
  


__

Ouma’s face flushed once again and Saihara felt amused at not being the one to be continually flustered for once. He thinks he’s starting to understand why Ouma loved teasing him so much. 

__

  
  


__

“_That_— That’s not fair, Saihara-chan. Using a game to ask me out? What a weirdo,” Ouma mumbled, covering his mouth with his scarf.

__

  
  


__

Saihara gave him an unimpressed look. “Weren’t you the one to use a game to confess to me first?”

__

  
  


__

“Yeah, but it’s cute when I do it! Weren’t you totally blown away by my cuteness at that time, Shuberry?”

__

  
  


__

“Sh-Shuberry?” Saihara flushed. And just when he thought he had the upper hand. And it was such a cute pet-name too. 

__

  
  


__

“I always think you’re cute,” he admitted, speaking softly. His lips quirked upwards when he saw how Ouma was flustered by his words and tried to hide his face further with his scarf. “And ah, you didn’t answer me yet.”

__

  
  


__

Ouma remained quiet and seemed to be contemplating the answer. The prolonged stillness making Saihara second guess himself.

__

__

__

_ What if I’m going too fast? What if he isn’t ready for a relationship yet and I just scared him away? What if I messed this up so badly that it makes Ouma-kun never want to talk with me again? What if- _

__

  
  


__

“You think too loudly, you know that?”

__

  
  


__

Saihara blinked back to the present, surprised by Ouma’s voice. “A-ah, sorry.”

__

  
  


__

“And you worry too much! Like I’d ever say no to being Saihara-chan’s boyfriend,” Ouma scoffed, cheeks tinted pink.

__

  
  


__

“O-oh,” Saihara felt happy and a little giddy hearing his answer. He really wanted to hug the boy sitting in front of him, but he thought that might be overstepping both of their comfort levels.

__

  
  


__

“Okay then, it’s my turn!” Ouma broke the silence with his peppy voice. “Shuberry! My question to you: hold my hand?” he asked, face reddening and laid a hand on the table, outstretched for Saihara to take. 

__

  
  


__

Saihara raised an eyebrow. “Or?”

__

  
  


__

“There is no or! Your Supreme Leader is asking you to hold his hand. Un-unless Shuberry doesn’t actually like me? And you’ve been playing with my feelings this whole time? Saihara-chan, that’s so cruel!” Ouma sniffled, eyes glistening.

__

  
  


__

“Again, this isn’t how you play the game but alright.” Saihara reached out to hold Ouma’s hand and the contact immediately stopped Ouma’s act. Ouma shyly intertwined their fingers, blush darkening.

__

  
  


__

Saihara could feel his own face heating up, but he could say, without a doubt, that this was the happiest he’s been in a while. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest with how fast it was beating. He squeezed the hand in his— his  _ boyfriend’s _ hand— just because he could. And he felt an almost overwhelming rush of emotions when he received a squeeze back.

__

  
  


__

Saihara didn’t know how long they had left before lunch time, but he was content with sitting together in silence with his new boyfriend until then. 

__

  
  


__

“Hey,” Ouma squeezed his hands to get his attention. “When this date is over, want to go on another one with me?” he asked with a cheeky grin.

__

  
  


__

Saihara chuckled. “Of course.”

__

  
  


__

“And do cheesy things like walk me back to the dorms and drop me off at my room?”

__

  
  


__

“If you don't mind.”

__

  
  


__

“And help me prank Kiibaby and Momo-chan?”

__

  
  


__

“Maybe not that one.”

__

  
  


__

“Boo! You’re no fun. Can’t believe I ended up with such a boring boyfriend,” Ouma pouted.

__

  
  


__

Saihara cupped his chin with his free hand and hummed in contemplation.

__

  
  


__

“What?” Ouma asked, curiosity shining in his eyes.

__

  
  


__

“I’m trying to remember who called me their favourite. I thought it was you, but that can’t be possible if you find me boring,” Saihara said, staring off to the side. “Maybe it was Akamatsu-san?”

__

  
  


__

“Me! It was me!”

__

  
  


__

“Or maybe Shinguji-kun?”

__

  
  


__

“ _ Me! _ Shuberry, it was me! I was lying, you’re not boring! And you  _ are _ my favourite!”

__

  
  


__

“I can’t seem to remember...”

__

  
  


__

This time, Ouma whined instead of giving a verbal answer, burying his face in Saihara’s shoulder. Saihara chuckled as accused him of being a bully. 

__

  
  


__

Saihara ran his fingers through Ouma’s hair as a form of apology, finding it to be surprisingly soft. Ouma pointed that adorably pouty face at him and Saihara melted. “You’re adorable,” the words were out before he even realized his mouth was moving.

__

  
  


__

Ouma’s cheeks turned pink and he broke eye contact to bury his face in Saihara’s shoulder again. He mumbled something about ‘ _not fair_ ’, ‘ _Shuberry’s the real cutie _ ’ and how ‘_your prettiness is always distracting me from carrying out my evil plans_ ’.

__

  
  


__

Saihara chuckled and rested his head on top of Ouma’s, listening to him make over the top threats to Saihara for being too pretty and wondered where he should take Ouma out on their next date. He was already excited and wondered if Ouma would dress up so cutely then too.

__

  
  
  


__

__

* * *

__

  
  
  
  


__

__

“By the way, Saihara-chan...”

__

  
  


__

“Hmm?”

__

  
  


__

“I know you got me a gift, but I don’t think anything can beat this,” Oumaa confessed, snuggling closer to him.

__

  
  


__

Saihara smiled. “Yeah, me neither.”

__

  
  


__

“Since you brought out the topic of gifts,  _ gimme gimme _ ,” Ouma ordered, making grabby hands towards where the gift lay on the table, but making no actual effort to go up and get it.

__

  
  


__

Saihara grabbed the box for him. “You’re the one who brought up the topic, you liar,” he snorted.

__

__

“Oh? Did I? I totally forgot, sorry!” Ouma said, not sounding sorry at all.

__

  
  


__

Ouma sat up as soon he was handed the box and Saihara mourned the loss of another’s body heat. Ouma was practically buzzing with excitement, so it surprised him when Ouma slowly unwrapped the gift, careful not to tear the wrapper. 

__

Ouma opened and the box and his eyes widened. Saihara’s heart pounded, he really hoped he got the right item. 

__

  
  


__

Ouma carefully took out the toy gun out of the box and stared at it, his eyes sparkling with wonder. He rushed back in towards the kitchen and Saihar could hear the sound of the faucet running. 

__

  
  


__

He had his suspicion of what Ouma was about to do and was already taking cover when a spray of water rushed past his head. 

__

  
  


__

“Shuberry, you meanie! How could you ruin my prank like this?!” Ouma booed at him from the kitchen. 

__

  
  


__

“Sorry, Ouma-kun. Today’s just a bad day for me to get pranked. Try again tomorrow,” Saihara apologized, empathetically.

__

  
  


__

“Aww, guess I can’t mess with you today,” Ouma pouted, putting away the Electric Tempest. “Well, that’s okay! Keebaby and Momota-chan are more fun to mess with anyway,” he snickered.

__

  
  


__

“Please don’t mess with them too much now, Ouma-kun.”

__

  
  


__

“I was planning to make them beg for their lives, but since my beloved has asked me so nicely, I won’t! I am willing to change my evil ways for you, my beloved!”

__

  
  


__

“I wouldn’t want you to change yourself for anything, Ouma-kun. I like you the way you are. But I’m sure the others would appreciate it if you toned down the jokes and pranks a little.”

__

  
  


__

“...”

__

  
  


__

“Ouma-kun?”

__

  
  


__

“You’re really unfair, you know that?”

__

  
  


__

“Oh, um, I’m sorry for that?”

__

  
  


__

“Don’t apologize! And hold my hand!”

__

  
  


__

“S-sorry?”

__

  
  


__

“I said, hold my hand!”

__

  
  


__

“Um, okay. Is this alright?”

__

  
  


__

“No, this is terrible! Today was terrible, Saihara-chan is terrible, your gift was terrible!”

__

  
  


__

“Mhm, if you say so.”

__

  
  


__

“... Thank you.”

__

  
  


__

Saihara smiled. “You’re welcome, Ouma-kun.”

__

**Author's Note:**

> me, when writing this fic: alright, we'll give Kokichi the present and that's where this story starts  
Kokichi: I reject your gift!  
me: you little fu_cker,_
> 
> also, I came across a really pretty skirt with musical notes and playing card design and I was like?? _Oh look, its Oumatsu_ and then I imagined Kokichi in that skirt bc _why not?_ also boys in skirts is a weakness of mine grtheted
> 
> fun fact: I originally made Shu say north pole, but then I realized penguins live in the south and I can't just abandon my brethen like that, so SOUTH POLE IT IS, FAM
> 
> Feel free to hit me up on discord! Nooty🐧💫#8689


End file.
